The Perfect Gift
by SmallerThan
Summary: This was actually written by Knockknocktimerico and I. Christmas special, featuring my own personal pairing favorite, and is a one shot. Promises to be great because really, Mitch wrote it with me, and what could be better than that combination? XD


Monsy's note:

This fic is the work of both Mitch, otherwise known as Knockknocktimerico, and I. If it weren't for him it wouldn't have happened, so, I have to give him some BIG thanks. :) Also, Blouper, whom we couldn't ge this to soon enough but she agreed to help and so I want to acknowledge her anyway. Warning: this story has nothihng to do with neither me or Mitch's current stories, so, yup. Enough of me, so I'll leave you with this. Blouper is awesome, Mitch is fantastic, Marski is phenomenal and Merry Whatever Holiday You Celebrate :D (what? I ran out of words)

* * *

The Perfect Gift

T'was the morning before Christmas and all through the HQ, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. And that was, because at the moment the penguins, and the rest of the zoo for that matter, were all at the zoovenir shop, readying for the Christmas party.

"Dandy Idea this was Kowalski!" Declares Skipper looking around at the lively animals," Who knew Secret Santas were so ideal for Christmas?"

Private smiles, "Way to spread the Christmas joy Kowalski."

"Uh uh!" Rico nods. Kowalski beams, glad that things had gone to plan.

"Well, my research did indicate that human children as well as adults loved this form of celebration." He explains, pointing to the statistics chart on his clipboard.

"Oh my god this is gonna be so exciting!" Marlene exclaims, "I can't wait to see who I get!" She turns to Kowalski, "This _was_ a great idea."

Kowalski looks down and clears his throat, for some reason feeling awkward. The animals become silent, eager to hear what he had to say.

"Now if you would all reach into this Santa hat," On cue Rico coughs up a Santa hat filled with the names of all the animals attending, "and each select a name. The name that you chose will be your 'Secret Santa' but remember, tell NO ONE who you get."

The animals pass the hat around, shuffling around trying to get a peek at who gets who, but everyone quickly hides their paper. After a few seconds it gets to Marlene.

She closes her eyes as she pulls out the piece of paper. She looks down at the small square on her paw. The name was probably the most complicated, and fitting, for the creature whom it belonged to.

Kowalski.

She's surprised as excitement fills her. She hadn't gotten Skipper as she had hoped. But she guessed Kowalski was good too. Actually, Kowalski was great.

She wonders what he will give her. She hoped...

She hoped...

What did she hope for?

She didn't know.

Confusion replaces the excitement.

-- --

Kowalski looks quickly at Rico, trying to figure out who he had gotten. Not that he cared...much. He knew Rico was happy with Doll. And still, Kowalski knew he wouldn't mind if he got him. Casually trying to figure out who he had gotten, he searches his eyes for any clues, but Rico's mind was enclosed and impossible to read.

Kowalski sighs quietly and draws out the last piece of paper on the hat, unfolding the paper. He recognizes the name instantly.

Marlene.

It was very illogical for his heart rate to speed up suddenly, this was just an exchange of material items after all, nothing more, but still, he felt like there was more to it than just that.

-- --

The secret Santa being over with, all the animals returned back to their habitats. Kowalski wonders what to get Marlene as he slowly waddles back to the HQ.

What did females like? He doubted if Marlene would want a machine gun, or an electric shock generator. He couldn't just ask her what she wanted either, this was supposed to be secret, classified, how could he possibly know what she wanted without asking her straight-out? _It's not __like I can just walk up to her and ask her _what_ she-_

"Hi!" Mort waves at Kowalski, derailing his train of thought. The young mouse lemur had a Santa hat on his head and a stick in his paw. He hadn't been allowed in the secret Santa because Julien had said no; therefore he'd spend his time playing reindeer.

"I'm a moose!" He says, putting the stick on his forehead.

"Right…" relies Kowalski, and then, an idea begins to form. But would Mort tell anyone?

Mort giggles as snowflakes fall on his nose. Kowalski smiles, he doubted if he would even recall.

"Hey Mort, How would you like to be a secret moose agent?"

-- --

A few minutes later, Kowalski and Mort stood just outside of Marlene's habitat.

"All right Mort, just go up to her and ask her questions that will lead me in the right direction. I'll be listening and taking notes. This walkie-talkie should allow me to hear your conversation." Kowalski tapes a small walkie-talkie to Mort's back and pushes him towards Marlene's place, diving swiftly behind a bush. Mort walks to Marlene excitedly, smiling hugely as he enters her home.

He finds her wrapping a present with bright green paper, humming all the while. She stops suddenly when she hears Mort, hiding the present behind her back.

"Hello…Mort?"

"Hi!" laughs Mort, "I came to ask you questions! But they're not about what you want for Christmas okay?"

Kowalski listens on the radio, slapping his forehead when he hears Mort. He presses the side button on his radio.

"No Mort, DO not make it obvious, repeat, DO NOT make it obvious!"

Marlene listens, Kowalski realizing too late he had forgotten to lower the volume on Mort's walkie-talkie.

Mort stands innocently in front of her.

"That wasn't the penguin talking to me from a box on my back," he states, "and he's not hiding behind the bushes either."

"Uhu."

Marlene walks out, catching Kowalski peeking his head out to see if she was coming. He dives back down as soon as he spots her. She walks to him, Mort following, telling her not to look behind the bush. She ignores him.

Kowalski jumps out of suddenly, trying to act casual.

"Hey Marlene!" he says surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing cause you know, I live here."

Kowalski shuffles around.

"Well, you see, Mort and I _were_ doing an experiment…" He glares at Mort, who stares back confused, then he looks back at Marlene, ducking his head when he meets her eyes. "You know what it doesn't matter."

"What kind of experiment?" Marlene presses. She places her paws on her hips, trying to hold back a smile.

Kowalski flips through his clipboard flustered, glancing at her occasionally, panic beginning to form in him.

"Most likely a scientific one," he answers finally, "yes, that kind of type, it's _very_ scientifical, you probably wouldn't understand it anyway so why don't we just forget about it."

"That so?"

Kowalski scratches his head and looks down.

"Ye-es…"

Marlene looks at Mort then back at him.

"Mort. Would you care to explain?"

Mort jumps up, glad to be acknowledged.

"Oh yes! Penguin and I were-" Kowalski covers his mouth with his flipper and hides him behind him.

"Well, uh, it's been nice chatting with you. And, wow, is that Skipper calling? I believe it is. Oh well, gotta run"

He toboggans out of her habitat, stopping in his tracks. He slides back nervously, grabbing Mort.

"Forgot this." He laughs, making a quick escape. Mort waves at her through his flipper.

Marlene's stands in the snow and smiles. She goes back in her home and resumes wrapping the present, Kowalski in her mind.

It was actually sort of cute what he was doing. He must have really been desperate to get her the right present if he tried to get Mort to help him. He seemed very eager to find out too.

She laughs to herself.

He could be so clueless. But, surprisingly, that was also cute. Perhaps she should help him. Because he at least tried. She ties the blue bow on top of the present and stands up.

-- --

Kowalski was at the HQ, trying to teach Mort how to be more subtle as she enters.

Marlene walks to him (after being attacked of course, the penguins never take an intruder fins down) but he's too focused in his rambling to notice.

"How could you almost blow our cover like that, you wouldn't want Marlene to find out would you?"

"Hey Kowalski!" Kowalski jumps slightly, but regains his composure, or attempts to. He smiles nervously and throws Mort to the side, motioning for him to leave. Mort smiles clueless, and in the end, Kowalski has to escort him out. Marlene stares, trying to not to laugh at Kowalski's failed effort.

He walks back to her, looking down.

"So err…sorry to keep you waiting." He mutters, "and uh…what, what brings you here?" his voice falters as he speaks. Marlene coughs to hide laughter and instead settles for a casual look.

"Oh well, my place is just so boring." Well, what did she want for Christmas? Hmm…she would settle for the usual, didn't matter as long as he was happy. "There's just **no music **in there, and you've no idea how much I would **love** to listen to some **Spanish guitars **at the moment. If only I had a **CD** of said music. Cause I don't." She stares directly at him, but he just stands confused. Maybe another try?

"Oh, well, I'm gonna go, cause I need to find some **CLAMS** to eat. But, I haven't found **ANY** around, darn, If only **SOMEONE** could help me out. You know, in **GETTING sooommeee claammssss**."

She had hoped that would work, she was practically yelling the words at him, but he didn't seem to get it, if anything, he looked more nervous than before.

Frustrated, Marlene leaves, hoping to be able to figure out another plan that would work better than this one had.

Kowalski rubs his head, taking out his clipboard as soon as she had left.

_Marlene seems to be becoming suspicious. The extra stresses on her syllables hint at intuition. Has she found out?_ He hesitates.

"Impossible."

He flips to another page and continues to write down stuff on his clipboard, he still had to figure out what to get her.

-- --

Marlene walks back to her habitat, watching snowflakes fall down as she goes, trying to figure out how to help Kowalski. It was easy to tell that gift giving wasn't one of his strong points, along with anything remotely emotional. He seemed to think with a very logical mind, always taking things as they're said, not as they're meant. These short comings however were few and far between.

She brushed off the snow from the bottom of her feet and entered her home. Walking to the table she inspectes the present she had wrapped earlier. She fiddled with the tag, reading it out loud to herself.

"Kowalski"

A strange sensations begins coursing through her body after reading his name. She had said it many times before but this time it just felt different.

"What is wrong with me?" Marlene asked herself. "I've never felt like this before we started this secret Santa thing."

She was unsure of this feeling. She had always thought of Kowalski and she'd be lying to herself if she said she had never wondered what would happen if they were more than just friends, but she never thought it would come true.

"Maybe I should just lie down."

In a desperate attempt to clear her mind Marlene thought it would be best to take a nap before the night's events.

As the world around her grew dark, one thing stood out from the rest in her dreams. It was Kowalski.

His vibrant blue eyes contrasting with the darkness around him, his sleek feathers giving his body tone and definition. Until then Marlene took Kowalski's physical features for granted. But now they seemed to shine brightly above all his other qualities.

She began to hear him speak, something about quadratic equations. Marlene wasn't interested in the material; she just wanted to hear his smooth, confident voice resonate in her ears.

"Marlene, Marlene, Marlene," she begins to hear him say, "Marlene, Marlene, Marlene," again just this time a little louder and accompanied by a brilliant light.

As the light gets brighter and brighter his voice gets louder and louder, calling her name out, "Marlene, Marlene, Marlene."

Finally she wakes up and finds Private standing above her, calling her name.

"C'mon Marlene, you're already late, the party's already started." He says in an anxious tone.

"Is it that time already? Man I must have slept longer than I thought." She lets out a giggle and hops out of bed and follows Private to the zoovenir shop.

-- --

As soon as they arrive Marlene looks around, hoping to find Kowalski among the celebrating animals. There he stood by the Julien dolls looking downcast and nervous, his gloomy mood opposite to the cheer and laughter that filled the room. Marlene shakes her head and walks up to him, smiling smugly.

"This party was your idea," she laughs, "why so glum?" Kowalski, unable to find a way to avoid the conversation, sighs and forces a smile.

"Just a few experiments gone awry." He replies. Marlene's smile falters as she realizes how much he cared about this. Well, she was here to help him wasn't she?

"Ah well, I'm sure things will get better," she says scooting closer, "you know, I myself could do with some cheering up to. I've always wanted to have a-"

"Would you mind if I ask you a few questions?" Kowalski interrupts. Marlene stares.

"N-no…I guess not."

And so, it begins. Her favorite color, her favorite shape, her favorite candy, which she prefers, what would be good, what does she hate, so many questions she begins to say the first thing that comes to mind. Kowalski walks around absentmindedly, practically pacing, and she follows, trying to tell him what she wants only to be cut short by another one of his questions. He scribbles everything down quickly, his forehead drawn in concentration, yet there was a certain spark to his eyes. Finally, she can't take it.

"Green, yes, Disneyworld," she answers to his questions, "and Kowalski, can I say something?" Kowalski stops.

"Your answer to 'favorite animal' was 'saysomething'?" He flips through his clipboard, "Sorry Marlene, would you mind describing it to me?"

She rolls her eyes and takes him by the shoulder.

"Can _I sayyyy sommmeeeethhiiinnngggg." _She pronounces every syllable slowly, and realization comes to him.

"Oh, proceed."

"Hey everyone! Look at Kowalski and Marlene!"

They glance around as a circle begins to form around them. The animals smile and whistle at them. Skipper stood with his flippers crossed and a smug smile on his beak. Rico cheered while Private stared.

"Why's everyone gathering around?" Marlene asks, her paws still on Kowalski's shoulders. He shrugs.

Barry begins the chant.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Soon the room was filled with the sound of their voices.

"WHAT?!" yell Kowalski and Marlene simultaneously.

"The mistletoe?" points Maurice. They look up together, gasping in horror to find that, sure enough, a small mistletoe plant hung directly above them.

"So that's what that's for!" laughs Private, "I thought it was just for ambiance." Kowalski growls.

"Private!" He looks at Marlene and gives an awkward laugh, attempting to step back but is pushes back to her by Joey.

"Go on mate!" He laughs. The crowd presses in closer, Marlene and Kowalski seeing no way out. They stare at each other.

"I guess…" Kowalski gulps, "I guess if…if we want to get out of here we'll have to…uh…this is quite the predicament we've gotten ourselves into, isn't it?"

Marlene blinks. She looks around apprehensively. Then, before she can change her mind, she pulls Kowalski towards her.

Kowalski, giving little resistance, closes his eyes and readies himself for the kiss. He wasn't really sure what to expect; he had been kissed before, but never by an otter, and more specific _this _otter. His heart beat began to race as their faces inched closer and closer. The chanting in the background began to fade with each passing second.

After what seemed like an eternity to both of them, their lips finally met in what was a surprisingly passionate kiss. Neither had expected the other that much effort, or _love_ into the kiss.

For Marlene it seemed like there was more to it than just being a kiss under a mistletoe. She got a sense of hope. Maybe they were suppose to be together.

Though it had seemed longer, the kiss was actually very short. They pull away, staring at each other's eyes in shock, and, because of their proximity, they could feel each other's hearts beating rapidly. The crowd cheers loudly, laughter erupting around the room.

'Hey everyone, it's time for the Secret Santas!" calls Private holding up a present from the stack in the table. The animals shout approval and rush to it, Marlene and Kowalski still transfixed to the spot, their eyes glued to each other. Then, Kowalski reacts.

"Time for Secret Santas?!" He gasps. Marlene nods, still spellbound.

"Oh, umm…."

"Wow! A week supply of butterscotch lollies! Thanks Skippa" They hear Private exclaim.

"Kowalski!" calls Skipper, "It's your turn!" Kowalski's eyes widen in panic.

"Oh yes, well…" he glances at Marlene apologetically, "I uh…I still…"

"Come on Kowalski!" Private beckons. Kowalski looks down, stepping away from Marlene.

"I, I still need to get the gift, so, umm…if you'll all excuse me…"

"Who's it for?" yells Mason.

"Ummm…Marlene."

The animals hoot in laughter as he leaves.

-- --

Marlene waits impatiently for him to get back, ignoring the meaningful glances she gets from everyone. Especially Skippers. He didn't seem angry, but he also didn't seem thrilled. Instead, he had settled for a polite look and a murmur of "congratulations" as she went by. For god's sake, it was just a kiss! Everyone was acting as if they were all ready married. Married to Kowalski…

The sorting of the gifts continues despite Kowalski's absence, but Marlene is snapped back to reality only until her name is called.

"Marlene?" Private smiles, tapping her shoulder. She turns; she hadn't realized that she was facing the door.

"Hu?"

"Your turn, who'd you get?" He smiles. Marlene gasps.

"I forgot the present!" She exclaims, only now realizing it.

"She's probably not over her Kowalski daze!" laughs Barry.

Ignoring the laughter that echoes, Marlene runs out of the zoovenir shop.

She looks down at the snow, listening to the crunch it makes as she runs through it. Well how convenient, she had forgotten the present, and to make matters worse, everyone would probably laugh again as soon as they found out it was for-

"Kowalski!" She scolds him as she gathers herself off the ground, brushing off white snow from her fur. He smiles apologetically and hands her a box.

"Merry Christmas." It was green, a bright blue bow at the top. She holds back a gasp and glances at him. His feathers were a bit ruffled; it looked as if he had been running around a lot. He was trying to not fidget as she gently pulls the bow off, which was neatly made.

"I, I'm sorry if it's not what you wanted." He starts rambling, "I had planned on more research about your likes and dislikes but things didn't go as planned, and so I had to go with what I had planned from the beginning instead, and-"

"Wow."

"You…like it?" he asks disbelievingly.

"Of course I do!"It wasn't something she would have wanted, but, she liked it non the less. She didn't know what it was, but it was big, green, shiny, and outstandingly beautiful. All its physical traits though, couldn't match her favorite thing about it; it reminded her of Kowalski.

"It's a quantum emerald." He mutters, twiddling his flippers.

Marlene nods.

"I love it." She smiles. And it was true. He sighs in relief, smiling back.

"Umm…I, I got you as my Secret Santa too," she laughs, "but I left your gift at my habitat. You want to come and get it?"

"Sure."

As they begin to walk, Marlene can hear him muttering quietly.

"Now what are the odds of it…"

-- --

"Merry Christmas!"

Marlene hands him the present; green wrapping with a blue bow. He smiles as he takes it, holding it up and shaking the box, listening to the muffled sounds that come from it. It was of a reasonable weight, and it emitted a pleasant sweet smell.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Marlene laughs. He smiles sheepishly and promptly pulls of the bow. His face lights up as he takes in the brightly colored pieces of candy that filled the box. His mouth watered from just looking at them. Among them, he finds a cream-filled chocolate oyster and, remembering how much Marlene liked them, he takes it and offers it to her.

"Thanks!" She quickly opens it and puts it in her mouth, closing her eyes as she savors it. Kowalski chuckles.

"Want some more?"

"Read my mind."

They sit beside each other, eating the candy in silence, but, for once, it was a pleasant silence. Kowalski reaches for more, his flipper bumping against something soft and warm. Marlene freezes, her paw still touching Kowalski's wing. They look at each other in surprise, then pull away at the same time. They look away, Marlene at the floor, Kowalski at the ceiling.

"So, uh….that was a nice gift Kowalski. Where'd you get it?"

"Well...back when we were in Madagascar; I picked it up there."

"Madagascar? Was it fun there? Meet any interesting…places?"

"If you could call it fun." He lets out a sudden chuckle, his stare far off as he remembers Madagascar. Marlene stares at him, hesitant.

"Really? What did you do there?" Hung out with the team mostly right…?" She hopes he doesn't realize the urgency in her voice. And what did she care anyway? She shakes her head, trying to clear her mind.

Kowalski doesn't notice her, still thinking about Madagascar.

"Well, mostly there was the aircraft's mechanisms to work on. Once that was done with we had to keep watch for any invaders, and also Skipper's wedding to set up."

Marlene looks up.

"Skipper's wedding? Wait, he's married!?" Was she really surprised? Of course, it all made sense now. Not just that, but something was clearing up in her mind, only she wasn't sure what.

Kowalski looks at her in confusion.

"Yes…he got married to a hoola doll. Her name was Lolla. He never told you about her?"

Marlene shakes her head.

"No. Never…well, I guess that's good for him…" Kowalski studies her for a minute, his brow drawn.

"Did you…does it…bother you?" He looks down as soon as he says this, avoiding her gaze.

"What? No, no…I, why would it bother me?"

"You and Skipper don't , err, have…feelings for each other?"

Marlene sighs.

"Well, I used to have this thing for him…but now, no." She looks at Kowalski, "Why do you ask?"

Kowalski glances at her, too quickly for her to see what he has in mind.

"No, just….curiosity…I, it's…I…" he takes a deep breath, but lets it out, "never mind."

The only sound is the rush of cars and the wind blowing.

Kowalski coughs awkwardly.

"So, uh, is there…anyone…else?"

"Well, n-no," Marlene stutters," or at least not…until recently." Through her peripheral vision she can see Kowalski sit up, a small smile playing on his beak.

"How long exactly?" He asks.

"Oh, I'd say about a day or two…" Her heartbeat speeds up. Would he notice?

Kowalski laughs suddenly. She looks up at him curiously, realizing also that even sitting down he was a lot taller than her.

"Coincidences." He states.

"What are you talking about?" Marlene smiles. His chuckles suddenly become nervous laughter.

"Well, I too have, _experienced _certain…emotions, for someone, begging a few days ago…"

Her heart rate begins to speed up once more.

"Uhu. Well…who would that be?" She scoots closer, telling herself it was to make sure she didn't miss his response. _Lie. _She ignores the crazy thoughts that go through her mind. Because they _were _crazy.

Kowalski freezes, fidgeting with his fins and looking everywhere but her.

"Gee, well, it's…someone…a very _special _someone…I, well, you see…it's uh…" resolution forms in his head, "it's you."

He ducks, closing his eyes and bracing himself for impact.

"Why'd you duck?" Marlene laughs. Kowalski peeks through his fins, then lowers them.

"Me? Duck? No, no. I…well, I've seen your anger at work. Not a pretty sight." He smiles at her, "So, just in case."

"Why would I be angry?" They were so close up, she could see the texture of his feathers.

"You...aren't?" He asks.

"No," Marlene clasps her paws together, then looks at him, "no, because the person I have feelings for is, ummm…well, you."

Kowalski blinks. Suddenly he takes out his clipboard and flips through it, deep puzzlement on his face. Once he realizes that the clipboard held no help for him he clears his throat.

"Well, that is…unexpected. Yes, unexpected. But…" He places his flipper over her paw, "pleasant."

She looks down at his flipper and her paw. It was surprisingly warm, and when she looks at Kowalski's eyes were gazing directly at hers and suddenly all she can see their deep blue and feel the tender warmth that travel through her as she looked at them.

Something takes over Marlene and she feels herself leaning in for another kiss, but this time there's no mistletoe in sight. This time it's from the heart.

Kowalski too can feel himself begin drawn towards Marlene, almost as if he had no control. He knows what's coming and does nothing to stop it.

Slowly their lips meet in a much more passionate kiss than the first. Their arms wrap around each other, bringing the animals closer. Marlene's spine tingles as he runs his flipper down her back. She can feel herself blushing hard under her fur, but she's enjoying every minute of it.

Kowalski was in ecstasy, he had never been this happy before. Everything just seemed right in his world. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. As of right now he had nothing to worry about except him and Marlene.

After a few minutes the two finally separated and started into each others eyes.

"You know Kowalski," Marlene begins, "all this material stuff for Christmas is good, but all I really wanted this year…was you."

She lays her head in Kowalski's lap and he beings to stroke her fur.

"Me too Marlene, me too"

* * *

Mitch's note:

First and foremost let me start by saying MERRY CHRISTMAS, oh and a happy new year and all that. I really hope you guys all enjoyed this fantastic little Marski story. It was a blast to write alongside with one of my favorite authors, of course I'm talking about Monsy. I'm gonna be honest with you guys, I wasn't sure if we were going to get this done on time but we worked our butts off to get this done, and in my eyes it turned out really well. I'm hoping that this story will open the peoples eyes how great Marski is (not that I don't love Skilene, cause I do) and maybe we'll start getting more stories written about them. Well that's it for me; again I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Until next time arrivederci.


End file.
